Exeter Airport Under New Ownership

26 June 2013, 12:00

305 jobs at Exeter International Airport have been secured as Rigby Group Plc take over the airport from Balfour Beatty for an undisclosed amount.

There had been speculation about the future of the site which is the maintenance and training hub for budget operator Flybe, with Thomson, Thomas Cook, Skybus and other airlines all flying from the Devon airfield.

Chairman, Sir Peter Rigby, says: “We believe in the importance of regional airports and of their value to the local and regional communities and of their important contribution and place in the local economies. 

"We are intent on developing our aviation business, within the Rigby Group, and we have made a significant acquisition here, and recently with the acquisition of British International Helicopters, in the course of the last month or so. 

"We now intend to consolidate both of these opportunities with a view to being a leading group in the sectors of regional airports and helicopter operations. 

"Approximately 450 jobs are now sustained in our aerospace activities."